Durban - A few years ago you would have been hard-pressed to find a pomegranate in our supermarkets, but they have become very trendy and are more readily available.
Their season is March to June and that is when they are at their best – juicy, with their arils a deep ruby colour. They are full of vitamin C, fibre and antioxidants, so using them liberally will not only be good for you, but will add taste and incredible colour to your dishes.
One of the biggest deterrents to using the fruit is removing the arils or rubies. I tried a number of methods and found this efficient: Slice a thin piece off each end of the fruit then cut through the skin in about 4 sections, as though segmenting the fruit. Prise the segments apart, exposing the rubies, then, as a less messy option, submerge the segments in a bowl of water and loosen the rubies with the fingers. This way none of the juice splatters all over the place.
If you don’t mind a bit of splattering, a good way to get the rubies to eject is to smack the skin of the segments over a bowl with a wooden spoon. If the white membrane prevents the rubies from coming out, peel it off.
Tips for buying pomegranates:
The fruit will not ripen once picked, so choose pomegranates that have a good red colour. The heavier the fruit feels the more juicy it will be. They will store well at room temperature for about two weeks or in the fridge for more than a month. The rubies and juice will freeze well for up to six months.
The best way to extract the juice is with a juice extractor. We tested pulsing the rubies in a blender and then pressing the mixture through a sieve and this worked well.
POMEGRANATE PANNA COTTA
Makes 6
6 leaves of gelatine
500ml cream
125ml castor sugar
125ml fresh pomegranate juice
pomegranate molasses for serving
pomegranate rubies for serving
Put the leaves of gelatine into a bowl of water and leave to soften. Squeeze out the water from the softened leaves.
Heat the cream and sugar, but do not boil. When the sugar has dissolved, add the pomegranate juice. Remove from the heat and add the drained gelatine leaves. Stir until dissolved. Pour the mixture into ramekins and refrigerate until set.
To serve, dip each ramekin into hot water for a second, then turn out onto a plate. Drizzle with the pomegranate molasses and sprinkle with extra pomegranate rubies.
NOTE: Replace the leaves of gelatine with 10ml of powdered gelatine. Hydrate it in water, then dissolve in the microwave for 10 seconds until liquid.
LAMB FLATBREADS WITH POMEGRANATE
Serves 4 – 6
Flatbread
375ml flour
3ml salt
125ml hot water
30ml olive oil
Lamb
30ml olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
5ml chopped garlic
5ml ground cumin
5ml ground coriander
5ml dried mint
5ml paprika
3ml ground ginger
3ml turmeric
500g lamb mince
15ml pomegranate molasses
salt and pepper
60ml pistachio nuts, roughly chopped
400g feta, crumbled
125ml chopped fresh mint
pomegranate rubies
FLATBREAD: Place the flour and salt in a medium bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the water and olive oil and stir until combined. Gently knead until smooth. Wrap in plastic wrap and set aside for an hour to rest.
LAMB: Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for five minutes or until onion softens.
Add the spices and cook, stirring, for two minutes until aromatic. Add the lamb and cook, stirring to break up any lumps, until the lamb changes colour and is cooked through.
Remove from heat. Stir in the pomegranate molasses and season with salt and pepper.
Preheat oven to 220ºC. Place a baking tray in the oven to heat. Divide the dough into six even portions. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion into an oblong disc. Remove the preheated tray from the oven. Place the discs on the tray. Spoon the lamb mixture over each flatbread. Sprinkle with pistachio nuts and feta.
Bake for 10 minutes until the bread is golden and crisp. Garnish with chopped mint and pomegranate rubies and serve immediately.
POMEGRANATE MOLASSES
Makes about 150ml
3 pomegranates, arils removed
60ml sugar
15ml lemon juice
Juice the pomegranate arils in a juicer or a blender and then pass through a sieve. You should have about 400ml of juice.
Combine juice, sugar and lemon juice in a pot over a medium heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved, then turn up the heat and boil for 10-12 minutes until syrupy.
Remove from heat and pour into a bottle. Cool and store in the fridge.
Angela Day, Sunday Tribune